Checking learning

BACKGROUND

If all students learned what they were taught at the time at which it was first taught, and if all of them grasped it equally well and equally quickly, teaching would be much less complex than it is. In fact, of course, learners do not always learn what the teacher sets out to teach —'sometimes they learn less, and sometimes other (more valuable?) things! Nor do they all learn in the same way or at the same rate. In fact, little about the elements is predictable or generalisable across a class of learners. It is for this reason that teachers develop strategies for checking that learning is taking place or has taken place.

TASK OBJECTIVE

This observation task is designed to help you monitor learning by monitoring a teacher's monitoring of learning. You will be looking at the language used in monitoring learning and analysing what each learning check achieves.

PROCEDURE

BEFORE THE LESSON

1.       Arrange to observe a lesson, preferably one that will involve the presentation of new language.

2.       Pay attention to the stated objective of the lesson.

3.       Make yourself familiar with the chart opposite and the particular items you will be attending to.

I decided to visit my elementary school in Ronov nad Doubravou. It is a small school in a little town, there are usually about 25 pupils in a classroom. Today, I was observing a presentation of comparative and superlative forms of adjectives.

DURING THE LESSON

Use the chart to help you monitor how the teacher monitors learners' understanding. Collect about five instances of teacher checking.

1.    Script the teacher's language (including any non-verbal signals) used to check learning.

2.    In each case, what is the teacher checking?

3.    Can you identify the trigger that prompted the teacher to check, for example, a student appearing confused; a necessary logical step in the lesson; repeated and similar errors by a number of students?

4.    How does the student respond to the check?

5.    What, if any, follow-up happens?

6.    What did the learning check achieve?

7.    Try also to be aware of times in the lesson when the teacher did not check for learning, but you would have; or where the teacher did, but you would not have.

1 How does teacher check?	2 What does teacher check?	3 Why does teacher check?	4 How does student respond?	5 What follow-up is there?	6 What did the learning check achieve?
´Is she still fat?´	Time focus in ´used to´	To establish concept of new language	´No, she isn´t.´	T confirms (´That´s right´), checks another S	Establishes + confirms meaning, leads on to next phase of lesson

1. "The size is different, isn't it?"
- T started introducing the topic, she pointed the difference between "big" and "bigger"
- to establish the concept of new grammar
- "No, it is not."
- T confirmed the answer
- students started to pay attention to new grammar


2. "And these two, mmm?"
- T checked on another example, if pupils understood
- to see if she can continue and explain more
- "The apple is small, but the strawberry is smaller."
- "That's correct."
- students can use a comparative

3. "But how do we say someone is even more taller?"
- T introduced the superlative
- to show students how to create a superlative form
- T didn't wait for the answer and started introducing the superlative
- a rhetorical question to link another grammar

4. "Is it clear?"
- T checked if pupils understood
- to see if she can continue
- "Yes."/nodding
- T continued to explain "More + adjective" and "The most + adjective"
- to assure if pupils are following her

5. "Is it correct?"
- T corrected pupil's answer
- to get the right answer
- "No, Jane is more beautiful."
- "That's right."
- the right answer

AFTER THE LESSON

I. Share the collected data with the teacher and discuss the checking process as seen from the teacher's point of view.

2.  Reflect on the last column — what did the learning check achieve? Add any relevant information to your grid.  
The learning check achieved to fluently continue with the lesson. 

3.  Looking over the five instances of checking that you collected, possible to do any of the following:

—      label them?

—      group them according to any similarities?

—      rank them, indicating your criterion?

Is it possible to say that questions that check for learning tend to be of a particular type? If you agree, try to describe in greater detail the type of question we are referring to here.

 I can say there were both yes/no questions and open questions. There is even one tag question. They usually focuse on assurance of understanding and on presenting new grammar step by step. I think all of the questions were appropriate.

4.  Generally, was there a neat link between the purpose for the check (Column 3) and the results of the check (Column 6)? If not, what factors are relevant here?
 Yes, there was a neat link.
 

5. Were there times in the lesson when you would have checked learning but where the teacher did not? (Or where you would not have, but the teacher did?) Think about what and why you would have checked and how that varied from what happened in the lesson. Perhaps discuss these points with the teacher.
 
I would check more times if the topic is clear, because it was clear that some pupils felt a bit intimidate to tell her. On the other hand, the teacher was paying attention to them and tried to make them speak more, which I consider great.

6. Consider again the stated objective of the lesson you observed. Was it achieved? How do you know? Did the learning checks in any way seem to propel the lesson onwards towards its objective? Did the monitoring of learning in the lesson have any connection with the reaching of or failure to reach the lesson's objective?

The goal of that lesson was to introduce pupils to comparative and superlative and that was achieved. The learning checks definitely helped. It seemed that the teacher is not even thinking about them, but asks them automatically, which seemed very natural. 

7.    Learning involves processing information and appraising new infor­mation in the light of previous understanding. What evidence did you notice through the lesson of the learners' processing meaning, for example, the meaning of new concepts, structures, vocabulary? To what extent, in the lesson you observed, did the monitoring of learning allow the teacher 'to tap into the student's head' and guess at the state of the processing of meaning?

8.  Have you any comment to make on how monitoring of learning might influence the sorts of decisions that a teacher makes in the classroom?
 Pupils' answers should draw teacher's attention to how the progress goes and whether on not it is necessary to practise certain thing again or if it is time to move to something new. Which means pupils' answers should influence the lesson plan a lot.

REFLECTION

In regard to how this observation has raised your awareness, comment on the experience by deciding which of the following applies:

—      in this lesson I found what I already knew, and have now confirmed it;

—      in this lesson I found what I suspected but had never thoughtfully considered;

—      in this lesson I found what I had not considered before;

—      in this lesson I found what I would like to pursue further.